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“I see you need a touch-up. I’ve got the polish in my purse. Want to go paint our nails again while we wait on the turkey to finish cooking?”
Just as I had hoped, Aria’s lips form the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. “Yes!” she exclaims excitedly.
I stand and look over at Luca. His eyes are still on us, but the worry has faded as he sees the smile on both Aria’s and my faces. His lips tip up into the half smile I like to see on him. I motion my head toward the house to let him know Aria and I are going inside. His eyes dart around the yard, and I follow them until they settle on Theo, who’s sitting in a pair of lawn chairs with Helen. When Luca’s eyes come back to me, he lifts his chin.
I lead Aria into the house as she babbles away about the movie she and her Pa went to see a couple of days ago. After grabbing the fingernail polish from my purse, we both sit at the kitchen table. She does my nails first, and it’s so cute because she sticks her tongue out the side of her mouth in concentration, just as she does when she draws. I don’t mind the smears she leaves behind on my cuticles. She laughs as I dramatically shake my hands in the air to dry them. I do hers next, and I laugh at her when she does the same.
“I’ve missed you so much, Jules,” she says after I put the polish away.
I pull her into my arms. “I’ve missed you so much too, Aria.” I step away and gaze down at her. “I promise we’ll get to spend more time together.”
It’s a promise I plan to keep, somehow or another.
“I’ve got to go potty. You go on back outside, and
I’ll be there in a minute.”
She skips away, and I’m glad her mood is lighter than it was earlier. She deserves to be happy all the time.
I go to the bathroom, but not for the reason I gave Aria. I need a moment alone to gather my emotions. Seeing Aria, spending time with her, and finding out she saw what Theo had almost done to me has frayed my nerves. I pray to God she doesn’t know exactly what Theo was doing. Revulsion has my stomach clenching at that thought.
I splash cold water onto my face to bring back color into my pale cheeks. My eyes are a little red, but hopefully no one will notice. To mentally prepare myself to go back outside, I pull in several deep breaths before grabbing the door handle. As soon as I pull open the door, I’m forcefully shoved back inside, and it’s slammed shut again. My back hits the sink and a sharp pain radiates up my spine. Fear skitters through me when Theo pins me with his hate-filled glare. His back is against the door, and I can practically see the rage pulsing from his bunched-up muscles.
“Wh-what are you doing, Theo?” I try to put as much strength into my tone as possible, but it still comes out shaky.
“Has he fucked you yet?” he hisses through clenched teeth.
My eyes widen. “What? No!”
Fear seeps into my bones when he leaves the door and stalks my way. I try to press myself closer to the sink, but I’m already as far against it as I can be. My eyes dart around the room, looking for something to use as a weapon, but there’s nothing. And the room is too small for me to slip by him. I’m stuck with no way of getting out. I lean back until my head hits the mirror.
“You’re a fucking liar,” he seethes. He doesn’t stop until he’s standing right in front of me. “I can fucking smell him on you.”
He grips my hair and yanks my head forward. His face goes to my throat where he sniffs along the skin. I press my hands against his stomach and try to push him away, but he doesn’t budge.
“Theo, please. Let me go,” I beg, my voice hoarse.
He pulls his face away and the look in his eyes is feral. It makes my fear skyrocket. Something is seriously wrong with him.
“Let you go?” he asks. The laugh he releases sounds demented. He leans his face closer to mine and spit flies from his mouth and lands on my lips when he snarls, “I’ll never fucking let you go. You’ve always been mine, Jules. Not fucking his.”
I try to turn my head away, but he holds me in place by my hair. His hold is so tight it feels like he’s ripping the strands out. When I start to struggle against him and dig my nails into his sides as I continuously try to push him away, a frightening growl leaves his lips.
I open my mouth to scream, but then I’m shocked momentarily silent when he quickly turns me around to face the mirror. My pelvis hits the sink when Theo shoves his hips into mine. I cry out at the pain in my hip bone. I lock my eyes with his in the mirror, and I see his intent. Before I can scream for help, pain explodes in my head when he slams my forehead against the mirror. My vision goes blurry and I’m dazed, but I feel warmth trickle down my face.
“Theo….” My voice is weak, and I trail off when another wave of dizziness hits me. I try to hold myself up by putting my hands on the sink, but they’re wrenched behind me.
“You’ll learn soon enough who you belong to,” he growls. “Now I have to fuck his stench off you,” he finishes on a mutter.
My leggings and panties are ripped down my hips to my knees. Some of my strength comes back, and I try to yank my hands away from him, but his grip is too tight. I jerk and pull and struggle until another wave of dizziness hits me, and my vision blurs.
Looking ahead through the hazy fog, I notice the glass in the mirror is shattered, but I still manage to see Theo in the broken shards. He looks deranged as he works to unbutton his pants using only one hand.
My head pounds and tears leak from my eyes, mixing with the blood still running down my face. Fingers probe at my opening, then pain shoots through me when he shoves one inside.
“Oh, God, Theo. You have to stop. Please, don’t do this.”
“Fuck you, bitch. I tried giving you time, but you were so fucking against having anything to do with me. It’s time I do what I should have done from the beginning.”
